Category: Lunch

I started back at uni this week and was already struggling with lunch ideas. A non-vegan friend mentioned to me that she takes frittatas which got me thinking. I was vegetarian for 20 years before becoming vegan around 8 months ago however I never liked eggs while I was a vegetarian. I hated anything that tasted eggy so obviously frittatas and quiches were out of the question. I’m pretty pleased with my first attempt of a frittata, ever!

Get a pot of water boiling with a steamer over the top and steam the asparagus until it is nearly done.

Start to sauté the onion in a frying pan until it is soft and lightly coloured. Add the mushrooms and begin sweating them off. Once the asparagus is done, cut into small pieces and add to the frying pan.

Add vegan pepperoni. Cook for a few minutes and then add the spinach until it just starts wilting. Set aside.

Last week I woke up with a sore throat and a horrible headache so I decided to whip up some chicken noodle soup. I took pictures and promised myself that I would blog about it however that night I got extremely sick. Once I recovered I’ve been super busy/lazy whichever you’d like to use haha!

The chicken chunks I’ve used are from Vincent Vegetarian Food in Melbourne. There are quite a few Vietnamese stores around Melbourne that stock these products.

Also, in my pictures the soup looks a bit oily, this is because in my sick state I accidentally added way too much oil to the pot. Ooops!

If you haven’t heard, aquafaba is the latest craze in vegan cooking. It is the liquid that is found in a can of beans. I know it sounds disgusting, when I first heard about it I was super sceptical. Aquafaba can be whipped to stiff peaks just like egg whites, it can also be used unwhipped as an egg replacement in things like cakes and pancakes.

In the past I’ve used the liquid from chickpeas, cannellini and four bean mix.

Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl and mix into the dry ingredients. The mixture will look wet, within 30 seconds it will become dough like. I didn’t knead the dough at all, instead I mixed it with the spoon. Don’t overwork the dough too much or it will become chewy.

Lay out a large sheet of aluminium foil and place the dough at one end and form into a log. Wrap tightly and twist the ends.

The other day while I was at the market, a bag of zucchini’s caught my eye. I was excited to see that it was only $1 for a large bag! I bought them with the intention of making zoodles however it is absolutely freezing in Melbourne and the idea didn’t excite me.

I created this recipe for breakfast however you could definitely have them as an entree or for lunch. They would be perfect served with some vegan sour cream or Greek yoghurt.

Grate the zucchini and add to a bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients and combine well. The water from the zucchini should be enough to make it batter-like however if it is not, add a few drops of water.

Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and add some olive oil. Place the batter into the centre of the frying pan and spread it into a circle.

Cook for about 5 minutes and then flip to cook the other sides for a further 5 minutes. See notes for flipping technique.

*Note – Chickpea flour is also called besan or gram flour. I buy mine from the local Indian grocery store

I found the easiest way to flip the pancake was to slide it on to a plate and then turn the plate over the frying pan

I know, I know! I’ve been lazy with posting again. This is one of my favourite soups. It has everything you need and love. It’s creamy and cheesy but it also is full of vegetable goodness! I usually have it with homemade bread or cheese toasties. It isn’t the prettiest soup but trust me, it’s delicious.

There are a few variations you can make to the below recipe. If you have access to vegan cheese which melts and soy cream, definitely use those instead of the potato carrot cheese.

Chop the celery into small chunk and the carrots into half rings. Roughly dice the onion. Add all three vegetables into a bowl.

Cut the broccoli into florets and the potato into medium cubes and set aside. Mince the garlic.

In a large pot, melt 1 tbs of margarine and add the three vegetables from the bowl. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the minced garlic. Add in the potato and stock, bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook with a lid on for 15 minutes.

Add in the broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes.

In a seperate pot make a bechamel with the flour and margarine. Once the flour has cooked off, slowly add the soy milk and whisk out any lumps. I do this by eye, I used approximately 1 cup of milk. Once the sauce is thick and creamy, add in the potato carrot cheese. I also added this by eye, it depends how cheesy you want it. I added approximately 1 cup of this as well.

Add the cheesy sauce to the soup and bring back to the heat. If you’re using vegan cheese, add it now and let it melt.

I love pies. Maybe it’s because I’m Australian. I’ve been vegetarian since I was 3 years old, so I’ve never had a meat pie. Most shops don’t have vegan pie options or if they do, they’re terrible. These pies are everything you love about pies, golden flaky pastry with a warm chunky yet healthy filling!

I made this recipe to freeze and store for a rainy day, you can however bake them straight away!

Firstly start by soaking the soy chunks in hot water and set aside. Chop the mushrooms and carrots into chunks.

Peel and slice the onions into half rings. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion with the rosemary for approximately 10 minutes or until soft and golden.

Add the flour and let it cook off for a minute or two and then add the vegemite, soy sauce and tomato paste. Add the stock and bring it to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it bubble away for approximately 15 minutes until it is nice and thick.

Once the gravy is done, drain the soy chunks and add to the gravy. Soy chunks are like sponges and they’ll absorb some of that lovely gravy.

Use your mini pie tins to measure out how much pastry you will need (I forgot to do this, oops!) and then spray them with cooking oil. I didn’t put pastry on the bottom because I’m trying to be healthy but you can. Divide the vegetables equally between your pie tins and pour over the gravy and soy chunks.

Top with the pastry and cover with foil to freeze. Alternatively heat up your oven to 200c before starting the gravy and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the top is golden. If baking from frozen, it takes approximately 40 minutes.

Mexican food is my absolute favourite! It’s fairly simple but oh so delicious. Lately I’ve found myself lacking variety at lunch time and just eating sandwiches due to laziness. This is a great little recipe, it’s super easy to put together but it’s very filling and it’s good for you!

You can’t find black beans at supermarkets in Australia and I searched high and low for them until I finally found them at my local Psarakos. Have a look in your local Mediterranean grocer otherwise you can sub in any other bean you like.

I’ve also used white rice, I would’ve preferred brown rice but I didn’t have any left at home.